The One About Food
First, while I was composing this post, my Real Simple Daily Finds email arrived in my inbox. I checked it out and there was a link to this. I know that there are some major skeptics out there about organic food. Those of your that have been, “JUST FINE!” eating thirteen different kinds of pesticides and chemical-formed hormones (in just one APPLE) your ENTIRE lives so why change now? You’re JUST FINE. Well, okay. I’m not.
We don’t exactly have a disposable income and things have gotten even tighter with me changing jobs. I can only bill out once a month and those checks take 10-14 days to get here so I have yet to see a paycheck. We are eating a lot more meals at home and I just added coupons.com to my Favorites. It’s definitely more expensive. I will not argue that. However, I can’t justify not shopping in the organics section. Especially for produce.
People have a misconception that organic foods are healthier. Well, they ARE healthier in the sense that they’re not putting unhealthy chemicals into your body, some chemicals that are even proven to cause cancer (I know, I KNOW. Air causes Cancer.), but eating strictly organic isn’t going to make you skinny. I mean, they make Organic cookies! A cookie is a cookie is a cookie is a Ginger Snap. What?
There. I said my piece.
***Descends from soap box***
I feed Lyla 98% organic foods. She’s not deprived of treats. She can have a taste of ice cream or a chocolate chip cookie. I’m not so incredibly anal that I refuse to give her anything unless I’m 100% positive of it’s origin, but I do make a huge effort to feed her organic foods.
Notice I didn’t say healthy.
She’s thirteen-months old. We’re entering the picky phase. She’s not thrilled about trying new things. She insists on feeding herself most of the time which makes it interesting since she hasn’t mastered the shovel technique quite yet. Her staples are yogurt, cheese, cheerios, bananas, blueberries, eggs, macaroni & cheese, plain pasta, turkey hot dogs, sliced ham, applesauce, whole wheat bread, “Mo-Mo” crackers, edamame, and peas.
This past weekend she went on a pea strike. I typically mix them in with her Annie’s Mac & Cheese (of which she’ll only eat the white cheddar, not yellow) and sometimes hide them inside the shells. This weekend she figured out how to separate the noodle from the pea inside her mouth, spit the pea out and swallow the noodle. Give me a break.
She will also eat apples. Though it’s a painfully SLOW process and she needs to do it ALL by herself. Cutting up the apple and putting it on her tray will just result in my picking apple pieces up off the floor. I’m reluctant to give her an apple unless I’m desperate for her to sit still for a few minutes.
She will occasionally eat a pancake or a waffle or a whole wheat english muffin with jam. These items are a total crap shoot though and I never know which way it’ll go when I give them to her. I tend to drop them on her tray and hold my breath.
Last night we tried veggie burgers. There was a lot of screaming. On BOTH of our parts, but I was able to bribe her with Mo-Mo crackers, mash the burger onto a fork that she could hold herself and cram it down her throat gently guide it up to her mouth. Dinner took forty-five minutes and afterward both of us needed a beer bath.
I don’t know where else to turn. I’m a culinary failure and though I managed to make most of her food and succeeded up until she started requiring stuff other than purees, I’m at a loss here. I bought a couple Toddler food cookbooks, but the recipes seem too hard and like they would require a ginormous effort. One I just wouldn’t have the heart to do and then watch her throw it all on the floor.
So what are you feeding your Toddler? What helps you survive meal times with your kids?
Oh and before you get to commenting and yelling at me about my Organic Sense of Entitlement, LOOK! it’s an ADORABLE BAYBEE WITH AN (organic) APPLE!
You’re SUCH a good mother, honey. Seriously. My child lives on chicken nuggets (white meat, if that helps) and various fruits. And Nutri-Grain bars. And yogurt. And cookies. God, that child is NUTS about CHUH-CHEES! Do I feel this diet is particularly healthy? Oh, hell no. But does he eat well and we’re both happy and maybe I’m okay with that ratio? Yes.
Sarah Lena´s last blog ..Very Quickly, as NOLA Never Stops
October 5th, 2009 | #
With the exception of a few meals I just know they won’t eat, my kids get whatever we eat. I fill their plates and put them in front of them. If they’re hungry, they’ll usually eat it. If they don’t eat it, eventually they’ll get hungry enough to eat whatever I offer them. Zach (who used to eat absolutely anything) has become really picky over the last few months and generally refuses to eat anything new. Our new rule for that is that he has to taste one bite and if he doesn’t like it he can spit it out. Most of the time he likes it and cleans his plate.
Every kid is different when it comes to food and it really just isn’t worth it to stress over it. When they’re hungry, they’ll eat. You’ll learn a few tricks along the way. Evie, for example, will eat nearly anything if you wrap it in a tortilla. I have no idea why, but it works!
Dee´s last blog ..Back On Schedule
October 5th, 2009 | #
I agree with Dee, the thing I learned from my first child (and many of my friends) is that if you always try to find something they will eat, you either are always eating chicken nuggets or you become a short order cook. We give them what we are eating and I try to make 1-2 “kid-friendly” or “foods that they have liked recently” meals a week. My 15 month son is currently going through a food strike and won’t eat any meat or vegetables.
I still make him sit there with us and let him fuss or whatever, he won’t starve because he eats and tries stuff when he is hungry. I also find that if I am making a casserole I leave out some of the ingredients like the noodles or the chicken and let them eat that part plain. The trick is to get them to put it in their mouths, and make them keep trying it, because it takes some ridiculous number of times (like 10) for them to try something before they like it. The food thing really sucks, my Dr once told me it is the one thing they feel like they have control over, everything else you tell them what they can and can’t do, so you just have to somehow let them do it themselves!
Melanie´s last blog ..Puddles
October 5th, 2009 | #
When M was that age, she got some of what we were eating and maybe one of her “staples” on the side, but no seperate meal for her. At that age I think I remember her LOVING black beans so that was always a good “side” to whatever we were eating (she loved blanched broccoli and carrots, too – now…not so much). I tried not to fight her on eating what she didn’t want, but also didn’t let her fill up on the “side dish” either.
Now, at 3 it’s not so easy. She FIGHTS trying new things and hates half of the things we serve her. Our answer is to have a boring back up (PB on whole wheat – she get’s 1/2 a sandwich) and if she is hungry after a dinner she refused to eat she gets some fruit, and nothing else. If she ate a decent dinner she might get a snack of crackers or a cookie later.
October 5th, 2009 | #
My 14 month old right now loves ravioli, spaghetti, that kind of stuff. Most of what I feed her isn’t organic-minded, but I try not to feed her junk. A lot of times, though, I’ll just give her little bites of whatever’s on my plate (we haven’t delved into meats too much, yet, though). She also does the same thing if I try to sneak a pea or other vegetable in her food.
C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..But I Still Love Halloween
October 5th, 2009 | #
man, my mom was so hardcore. we ate what they ate, and for my picky little sister, if she didn’t eat it? no problem, plate went into the fridge. when she got hungry later because she hadn’t eaten any dinner, hey! a plate full of much grosser dinner now, mushy and cold and/or reheated in the microwave!
in other news, HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH SO MUCH CUTENESS? those eyes. zomg.
Alice´s last blog ..stink, stank, stunk
October 5th, 2009 | #
I remember sitting at the dinner table for two hours because I really hated Swedish Meatballs and that’s what we were having – I had to eat them, every one of them, which took two hours, with a lot of gagging and a lot of water to wash them down. So, I promised myself I wouldn’t do that to my kids – and look, they grew up just fine on carrots, chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes and ice-cream. Yea, with four kids there were days where I cooked a bunch of different meals (all the same ingredients, just prepped to each kid’s liking) but it was worth it being able to sit with all of them, have a nice quiet meal and just joke around. Now, each of them will eat food I would never consider even trying
Funny how that happened.
October 5th, 2009 | #
Lexi loves food so we’re really lucky on this front. But we’re also doing the fork thing. And she wants to do EVERYTHING by her self and if I even try to “help” she throws the fork and starts the swipe of doom where EVERYTHING within arms reach is on the floor and the screaming – the screaming she learned from her father.
Entire apples – we love those too. Cut that sucker up though and it’s like an atrocity against every women was just committed and the earth is going to end NOW. We’re not at all dramatic here. Really easy going (hahahahaha).
Cass´s last blog ..bigkid4
October 5th, 2009 | #
I can’t buy 100% organic. I just can’t. My checkbook refuses to allow me to. But, things like produce, yes. Milk? Yes. I buy Morgan the Annie’s mach and cheese (ONLY the white. Sweet Heebus…do NOT give the child the yellow or you WILL be told that is wrong!!). I buy either the organic or all natural soups for myself to eat.
Morgan? Lives off yogurt, waffles, organic chicken nuggets, pears, Smiley fries, soup and sweet potatoes. Ketchup. That’s her crack. You give her something she’s not thrilled to eat, but offer ketchup? She’s all over that like white on rice. Or hummus. The kid loves her some hummus.
Here’s the thing, my friend: as long as she’s eating, don’t sweat it. My nephew went through a phase where he ate turkey dogs, kiwi, Nutri-Grain bars and oatmeal. That was IT! Seriously. For like six months. His pediatrician told my sister as long as he’s eating, drinking and healthy…let it go.
Lyla’s a little young still, but with Morgan…I present her with two choices for breakfast and lunch (dinner….there is no choice. It’s what I’m eating or nothing. Mostly.). Letting her pick what she eats gives her that feeling of being in control and I win because I know she’s eating, for the most part, decent things.
I have no clue why I’m still typing. I clearly want to waste your time. Sorry!!
Kellie´s last blog ..Well…Okay Then
October 5th, 2009 | #
I totally wish I had some advice for you here. In my experience it gets worse before it gets better. Renee doesn’t eat anything for days sometimes and then will eat a CRAPLOAD of food to make up for it. I feed her as healthy as I can, buy (mostly) organic but try not to freak out about it. I generally make her something different than what we eat because I really am not a spaghetti/casserole person and there is no way I’d get her to eat a piece of meat and a salad.
One thing to try is dips. Renee will eat anything if she can dip it. I mash up avocado or squash and call it a dip. Or hummus. Or ranch if you’re desparate. I figure if she eats the broccoli and the carrots and the peas it’s a victory even if it’s covered in ranch.
Good luck!
October 6th, 2009 | #
Having three toddlers all within 3 years I have gotten a lot better at feeding the hard to feed age of 9-15 months. I started out doing lots of pastas, etc. but realized it was WAY to carb heavy. But once I was in that rut, Julia (my 3 year old) wouldn’t get out of it for a long time. I have finally gotten to a place where I feed them exactly what’s on my plate. I personally don’t believe in “disgusing” vegetables, because I think that sends a mixed message about them. So while I knew that the girls wouldn’t like spinach leaves or hummus or pad thai or or or the first time they were fed it, I always offered to them. They could have a little of what we were having and a little of what was available. My “available” go tos are black beans, avacado, cooked carrots or cooked frozen veggies mix, etc. Eventually, all threestarted eating whatever we were eating. They have different preferences, sure, BUT they are developing a taste and a like for lots of different kinds of food. Last night I fixed a vegetable soup with peanut butter in it (not a lot of PB, but still some AND I am a lot more liberal about peanuts because of our genetic make-up than some moms) but all three ate it. It was the first time they had ever tried it and it was spicy and it was unfamiliar, but they really liked it. It can’t hurt to offer everything and then some. Plus, with the chubbo toddler thighs at our house, I’m pretty sure no one is going hungry even if they don’t like what I fixed for dinner.
nora´s last blog ..An excuse for…
October 7th, 2009 | #
Oh, food. You’re doing so much better than I am – we had organic/natural intentions but haven’t lived all of them out. Madeline LOVES fruit, and that is the one thing that is my saving grace. Apricots, pineapple, cherries, mandarin oranges, apples, banana, kiwi, grapes, plums, blueberries… she loves them all and would eat ONLY fruit if that were possible. Other things she loves: orange juice, mac & cheese, raw broccoli, raw carrot, CORN! CORN! CORN!, hot dogs, goulash, pasta of any kind, chili, grilled cheese, waffles, cheese cubes, crackers of any sort, and on and on.
Oh and I second Gina on the dips. If I give her ketchup… forget it. She LOVES the stuff.
I could go on, she does eat lots of different things, but we also have days where all she’ll eat is raisins and Teddy Grahams. And I’m mostly okay with that.
(oh… and sign me up for Worst Mom because she also LOVES McDonald’s chicken nuggets. LOVES.)
bessie.viola´s last blog ..emo before it was cool
October 7th, 2009 | #
Our daughter entered the picky phase the day she was born and has not yet left that phase four years later. It’s tough, it’s annoying, and it’s stressful because you want nothing more for your kid to eat! So, I know where you’re coming from. But rest assured, we have a picky kid who is growing like a weed despite not wanting to eat a damn thing. We’re not sure how that’s happening but we’re trying not to analyze too hard. We do have a rule – try something different every day, and the bites of that new food should equal her age. Turns out she’s actually come around on a few things that way.
Chris´s last blog ..Need
October 7th, 2009 | #
We all have to choose our priorities & do what’s right for us. I don’t think we should ever have to apologize for those choices or defend our positions, provided they do not affect anyone outside our families or break any laws.
On a semi-related tangent: Do you know why organic produce is so much more expensive? Because without the chemicals, the plants just don’t produce as much fruit. They aren’t being engineered to grow bumper crops. There are no pesticides to prevent the bugs from eating them or herbicides to keep the molds or blights from spoiling the produce or killing the plants. You get what nature gives you. Which is less than what the mass-producing farms will generate. And therefore, it’s more costly to put on your table. This from the girl who grew up eating produce that came directly from the garden or the orchard in my grandparents’ backyard and onto my plate. I’ve seen how it works with my own two eyes.
Dawn´s last blog ..Grace in Small Things 258:365
October 8th, 2009 | #
The big thing is finding your own way. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves. Every child is different and sometimes they go through phases where all they want is anything crunchy/orange foods/things that are round.
Here is what has worked in our household… we always offer a bit of everything and we don’t make a big deal about things being weird for a toddler to enjoy. Finn loves everything from guacamole to sushi to salads to spinach raviolis. He went through a phase when he didn’t want any meat whatsoever for months and months and then one day we had grilled steaks and he told us he wanted some. Right now, he is in a phase where he will eat anything and everything so we’re introducing as much as humanly possible. We don’t give him a bunch of crap, but we don’t freak if he wants a cookie or a few m&ms. Hell, sometimes my mother in law gives him a glass of milk with a splash of coffee in it, so now he tells everyone he likes coffee. I’m quite sure people think we’re the worst parents ever.
A couple of quick things that we’ve found… giving a smorgasboard of items usually goes over better than one thing on his plate. He’ll eat 10 healthy things with no problem at all, but if we just have one of those ten on a plate he won’t eat it at all. He is all about the choice. Also, allowing him in a small way participate in the preparation of the meal means that 99% of the time he will eat what we’re having.
Michelle´s last blog ..Kiddie crack. Er… um educational TV watching for kids.
October 9th, 2009 | #
Ah yes, the picky eater phase…no worries, they grow out of it. They have no choice. They eat when they’re hungry.
While we were away we discovered some new things Li’l Foot will eat…she ate scallops and tofu (not together) but still she tried both with little coaxing. She loved them and we are going to try new things every once in a while to find more new things she’ll eat. Just like us, their taste buds evolve and change as they get older so what they may like or dislike today, they may change their mind in a week or two or five. So we continue to try new things so she perhaps will start liking new things too.
lilfootsmommy´s last blog ..Orangina
October 12th, 2009 | #
My first boy was such an incredibly picky eater he wouldn’t even eat pizza, or pancakes, or CUPCAKES. Every single meal time was hell. I remember begging him to eat one blueberry for a breakfast once. It took half an hour, and after that, yes, I too needed a beer. Now he’s 4 and 1/2 and while he’s not a good eater by any means, he eats the food in front of him pretty well. We’ve always stuck to the “you eat what we eat” philosophy, and by god, it only took four years off my life, but it worked. He eats pizza! And vegetables! Even kale! (but still no cupcakes). But honestly, I would just do whatever works right now. Parenthood is hard enough without feeling like you want to scream after every meal.
mylifeinbrown´s last blog ..Poetry
October 17th, 2009 | #